The titanic struggle between American oil interests and the rights of native peoples creates a mosaic of political corruption and corporate greed that is at the heart of CRUDE, the latest cinematic essay by acclaimed American documentarian Joe Berlinger that is having its West Coast Premiere at the San Francisco International Film Festival this week. The prolific filmmaker is best known for his collaborative projects with partner Bruce Sinofsky on the award-winning documentaries BROTHER'S KEEPER...
At mid point of the 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival, the oldest in North America, films from European directors have been making the most impact. With its cosmopolitan air and its distinctive European ex-pat communities, San Francisco is not only a destination for European artists but also a place to sample the best of the new European cinema. Most of the European films on display are congregated in the World Cinema section. Among the highlights from European talents: BULLET IN TH...
In the beautiful city of San Francisco, history is never far away from the gleaming city by the bay that has been its modern identity. Yes, tech companies prosper and it is a financial and business hub. But the glories of San Francisco past is still very much in evidence. Some would say the glory years were the 1950s and 1960s, when San Francisco was the home to the beats and the hippies, and had an international reputation for tolerance and forward thinking. It still has that progressive vibe ...
The titanic struggle between American oil interests and the rights of native peoples creates a mosaic of political corruption and corporate greed that is at the heart of CRUDE, the latest cinematic essay by acclaimed American documentarian Joe Berlinger that is having its West Coast Premiere at the San Francisco International Film Festival this week. The prolific filmmaker is best known for his collaborative projects with partner Bruce Sinofsky on the award-winning documentaries BROTH...
TROUBLED WATER
At mid point of the 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival, the oldest in North America, films from European directors have been making the most impact. With its cosmopolitan air and its distinctive European ex-pat communities, San Francisco is not only a destination for European artists but also a place to sample the best of the new European cinema.
Most of the European films on display are congregated in the World Cinema section. ...
In the beautiful city of San Francisco, history is never far away from the gleaming city by the bay that has been its modern identity. Yes, tech companies prosper and it is a financial and business hub. But the glories of San Francisco past is still very much in evidence.
Some would say the glory years were the 1950s and 1960s, when San Francisco was the home to the beats and the hippies, and had an international reputation for tolerance and forward thinking. It still has that ...
The atmosphere was tinged with excitement in the glorious movie palace that is the Castro Theater. Eager audiences were assembled to worship at the feet of one of filmdom's true icons. Here, on this stage, was an actor who has made women swoon, made man envious and made his mark as one of the last true Hollywood stars. Robert Redford, with a face and physique that still makes heads turn, was being honored by the San Francisco International Film Festival with the Peter J. Owens Award f...
The atmosphere was tinged with excitement in the glorious movie palace that is the Castro Theater. Eager audiences were assembled to worship at the feet of one of filmdom's true icons. Here, on this stage, was an actor who has made women swoon, made man envious and made his mark as one of the last true Hollywood stars. Robert Redford, with a face and physique that still makes heads turn, was being honored by the San Francisco International Film Festival with the Peter J. Owens Award for his cont...
As part of its tribute to iconic director Francis Ford Coppola, the San Francisco International Film Festival will host a rare screening of THE RAIN PEOPLE on Friday evening, as part of An Evening with Francis Ford Coppola & Friends.
The film, released in 1969, was the first production from Coppola’s own company, American Zoetrope. An original script by Coppola, one year before his Oscar win for PATTON, the film stars Shirley Knight as a Long Island housewife on the run...
It was a true celebration of film as the Palm Beach International Film Festival celebrated announced its winners in the categories of Best Feature Film, Best Documentary, Best Short Film and Best Director.
The jury for the 14th PBIFF consisted of: Academy Award-nominated actress Shohreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand & Fog, and the upcoming Stoning of Soraya M.) and Debbie Frank, COO of the Frank Theatres, who judged the Feature Films; Director Aaron Wells (whose film Rock and...
When you are part of Italian film royalty, one of the things that you do know is Italian cinema. Veronica De Laurentiis is the daughter of legendary film producer Dino De Laurentiis and neorealist film star Silvana Mangano. With cinema in her blood, she is the perfect programmer for the VISIONS OF ITALY program screening today at the Palm Beach International Film Festival.
De Laurentiis, who jet sets between homes in Rome and Los Angeles, has worn many hats in her career. Actress, fashion...
When you are part of Italian film royalty, one of the things that you do know is Italian cinema. Veronica De Laurentiis is the daughter of legendary film producer Dino De Laurentiis and neorealist film star Silvana Mangano. With cinema in her blood, she is the perfect programmer for the VISIONS OF ITALY program screening today at the Palm Beach International Film Festival. De Laurentiis, who jet sets between homes in Rome and Los Angeles, has worn many hats in her career. Actress, fashion design...
Actor Michael Keaton, whose 30-year career has included the outrageous ghost in BEETLEJUICE and Batman in BATMAN RETURNS, is the star and director of THE MERRY GENTLEMAN, which had its East Coast premiere last evening at the Palm Beach International Film Festival. The film, a psychological thriller set around the Christmas Holidays in a gray and unforgiving Chicago, casts Keaton as a hit man with a conscience, whose world is crumbling and whose resolve is beginning to waver. The catalyst for thi...
The San Francisco Film Society has announced a special program as part of the 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival scheduled for next Friday, May 1. An Evening with Francis Ford Coppola & Friends, to be held at the historic Castro Theater, will honor the brilliant career of one of the seminal figures in American film.
The event will take the form of a free-ranging onstage conversation between Coppola and his longtime colleagues and collaborators George Lucas, editor Walter...
Actor Michael Keaton, whose 30-year career has included the outrageous ghost in BEETLEJUICE and Batman in BATMAN RETURNS, is the star and director of THE MERRY GENTLEMAN, which had its East Coast premiere last evening at the Palm Beach International Film Festival.
The film, a psychological thriller set around the Christmas Holidays in a gray and unforgiving Chicago, casts Keaton as a hit man with a conscience, whose world is crumbling and whose resolve is beginning to waver. Th...
SEVERE SEVERE CLEAR
No matter the size of the Festival, and I am including the biggest ones of the bunch in this statement, the quality of the fiction features is generally a mixed bag, but the documentaries never disappoint. The same can be said for the Palm Beach International Film Festival, where this year's documentary lineup is of consistent quality, appealing to audiences of all stripes and tastes.
Social issues mix with personal concerns in the best of these films. I...
When your career resume ranges from playing English royalty to an American patriarchal President, with a corrupt police captain and a Scottish pig farmer thrown in for good measure, you know you are talking about someone with a great range. That quality to perfectly personify a host of different types is the hallmark of great character actors. Among the best applying their craft to numerous film and television projects is the actor James Cromwell, who will be honored this evening with a Career...
Actors Evan Rachel Wood and Elijah Wood (no relation) have been chosen to receive this year’s Midnight Awards at the San Francisco International Film Festival tomorrow evening. The Awards have been designed to honor a dynamic young American actor and actress who have made outstanding contributions to independent and Hollywood cinema. The Awards ceremony and after-hours cocktail reception is one of the Festival’s hottest tickets. This year, the actors will be interviewed in a rel...
With all the headlines emerging from Mexico about drug cartels and gang wars, the zeitgeist culture of America's neighbor to the south is undeniably dramatic and more than a bit terrifying. Out of this cultural conflict often emerges great art and artists, and Mexico has been for the past decade a prime resource of exceptional film talent. Add to the list that includes Del Toro, Cuaron and Innaritu, the name of writer/director Fernando Eimbcke, whose film LAKE TAHOE is premiering at t...
